Published: February 04, 2010 01:06 pm      

SFA to host famed Horticulturist, Dr. William Welch

2010 Azalea Trail Symposium to be held on March 13

The Stephen F. Austin State University Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden is once again proud to host the annual Nacogdoches Azalea Trail Symposium March 13 in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building on Wilson Drive on the SFA Campus in Nacogdoches.

Noted Texas A&M horticulturist, Dr. William C. Welch, will be the featured speaker. Dr. Welch will share his enthusiasm for camellias and other heirloom plants in his lecture, “A Passion for Camellias.”

Dr. Welch is the author of Perennial Garden Color, Antique Roses for the South, The Southern Heirloom Garden, and The Bountiful Flower Garden.

Southern Heirloom Gardening by William Welch and Greg Grant will be published by Texas A&M Press in the spring of 2011. Bill Welch is a regular contributor to Neil Sperry’s Gardens and Southern Living magazine. His homes and gardens have been featured in books and articles throughout the South. He was recently presented the Great Gardeners Award by the American Horticulture Society.

In his lecture, Dr. Welch will present the many benefits of adding fall-blooming Camellia sasanqua and spring-blooming Camellia japonica to residential azalea gardens.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the program is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is provided, followed by tips on pruning camellias, propagating azaleas, and a guided tour of the SFA Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden by Barbara Stump and Dr. Welch.

The symposium is sponsored by SFA Gardens and the Texas Chapter of the Azalea Society of America. Admission is $30 to SFA Gardens members and $40 to non-members.

For more information and to register, contact the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau (888-OLDEST-TOWN, fax 936-462-7688) or online at www.nacogdochesazaleas.com. For information on the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden e-mail sfagardens@sfasu.edu or call Barbara Stump 936-468-4129.